The Adverts are generally regarded as second-stringers in the first wave of British punk, but while their work is rarely mentioned in the same breath as
the Damned,
the Clash, or
the Buzzcocks, their best music has stood the test of time as well as any of their contemporaries. The group's first album,
Crossing the Red Sea With the Adverts, and the classic single "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" are into-the-wind punk at its best, with energy to burn, sharp (if skeletal) tunes, and unusually thoughtful lyrics from frontman
T.V. Smith. While the group's later work was less exciting, it also showed the Adverts were one of the first punk bands to acknowledge the limitations of the form and struggled to move past them, and if their ambition exceeded their reach, they still managed to write some good songs along the way.
The Wonders Don't Care collects 17 songs the Adverts recorded for BBC Radio sessions between 1977 and 1979, and
Smith's contention in the liner notes that the set allows listeners to "hear a band get born, grow up, get old and die, all in less than an hour" sums things up quite well, thank you. The first half of the album captures the band in their youthful and snarling period, and if bassist Gaye Advert and guitarist Howard Pickup don't display much virtuosity, they already learned what not to do, and
Smith is in superb form; these sessions are a bit less polished than their records, but they're well-recorded and capture their energy with commendable accuracy. The later selections find the band slowing their tempos, writing more complex melodies, and (gulp) even adding a keyboard, but while the Adverts slipped as they attempted to reinvent themselves,
Smith remained a strong singer and an intelligent, perceptive lyricist with plenty worth hearing.
Crossing the Red Sea is easily the best
Adverts album, but
The Wonders Don't Care captures their sudden rise and brave fall as well as any set you can buy. ~ Mark Deming